In a distributed computer system in which a plurality of computers are connected by remote connection and/or local connection, in order to perform alteration or revision of specifications of software (program files and/or data files etc), it is required to alter the files of remote computers by file transfer to a plurality of client computers through communications circuits from a host computer at a center.
For this purpose, there are provided a version management function, file transfer function, and a file application control function applied to files such as files grouped in maintenance units; in financial systems of high reliability required in financial institutions etc, a remote maintenance system is desired in which occurrence of errors is prevented to the utmost, yet which does not require human intervention for registration and transfer of maintenance data.
FIG. 23 is a view showing an example layout of a distributed computer system provided in a financial institution or the like. In FIG. 23, the distributed computer system has a triple layer structure comprising a management server computer 200 provided at a centralization center, a plurality of relay computers 400 provided at branch offices remotely connected to host computer 200 through communication circuits, and a plurality of client computers 300 locally connected by means of a LAN etc to the relay computers 400 at each branch office. Also, a management client computer 100 is connected to management server computer 200 at the centralization center. Management client computer 100 is used for preparation of maintenance data for updating/correction of task programs or data files employed by client computers 300, and is a device of the same type as client computers 300, such as a personal computer or workstation etc. The maintenance data generated by management client computer 100 is distributed to the client computers 300 from management server computer 200 through relay computers 400. At this point, prescribed directory information is appended to the distributed maintenance data. Then, updating of the maintenance data at each client computer 300 is performed by copying the distributed maintenance data to the directory corresponding to this appended directory information. In this way, efficient updating of the maintenance data is achieved by distribution of the maintenance data from the host computer to the client computers.
However, when maintenance data distribution is performed as described above, the directory of the maintenance data in each client computer must be the same for all the client computers to which distribution is effected. However, in modern distributed computer systems, sometimes a plurality of systems of different types are combined in composite fashion or systems of different types are added on after the system has been introduced; in such cases, the directory to which the maintenance data is to be applied may be different in the respective client computers. For example, if a memory device is added to a client computer, the directory may be altered by alteration of the drive name of the storage device in which the maintenance data is stored. In such an environment, in the case of a remote maintenance system mechanism which was conventionally required to be constituted by a single system structure, it could happen that maintenance data updating by maintenance data distribution might become impossible, making it impossible to cope with a composite distributed computer system in which each client computer has its own directory structure.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a distributed computer system wherein maintenance data can be correctly applied to a plurality of respective client computers even when the directories to which the maintenance data is to be applied are different.